Let�s brainstorm together.

• Is the deal itself a bad deal?
• Does the team lack depth or is it incomplete?
• Does the company have a lack of traction and track-record?
• Has the company or advisor produced poor marketing materials?
• Was the marketing list sufficient to create a true �market� for the seller or issuer�s stock?
• Perhaps the marketing outreach was poorly-executed?

In my experience, an incomplete team and lack of experience/track record are the two biggest deal-squashers for capital raise transactions. Also, today�s capital raise peddlers like to �post and pray� to Reg D 506(c) platforms, hoping accredited investors will simply flock to their offering. Not so. All deals require direct outreach, including regular blocking and tackling.For sell-side deals, it depends. Assuming the deal has meat on the bone (say EBITDA of $3M+), the deal is likely the inheritor or beneficiary of poor marketing and outreach execution. Otherwise, most sell-side deals are highly-dependent on a dealmakers ability to 1) create great marketing materials 2) build a quality list with the most likely acquirers 3) perform direct phone and email outreach to the list and 4) help negotiate among would-be acquirers and get acquirers to come to the table with their intentions.When there is meat on the bone, there is no reason a seller should walk away with zero offers.Whether the valuation meets expectations is another matter entirely, but a sold deal is the culmination of many disparate factors, including all of those listed above. If your deal isn�t selling, perhaps it�s time to get serious and hire an investment banker. Just a thought.